


The Solution (Levi x Gem!Reader) Steven Universe AU!

by PerhapsWeCanTry



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-08 17:21:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4313727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerhapsWeCanTry/pseuds/PerhapsWeCanTry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's been a lot going on in Levi Ackerman's life after the defeat of the Titan gang. He, like the rest of the Scouting Legion, looks into the supernatural and tries to understand the growing number of world-wide incidents. </p><p>   He's getting nowhere, until he meets you.</p><p>   That's when all hell breaks loose.</p><p>   Takes place before 'Ocean Gem' and will follow with some of the events after. I won't mess with Steven Universe canon, and to the best of my ability the only shipping will be between you and Lance Corporal Cleanliness. No major proofreading, but the grammar should be decent, (look above for reference,) and there are no spelling errors.</p><p>   Don't ask, I have no idea what inspired this! ^^'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discovery

Gray clouds boiled in the Beach City sky, promising many days of rain and a very overcast view. Rows of warmly lit homes glowed faintly in the weather, giving the entire town a hearth-like glow.

It was one of those spring days that the tourists avoided, Levi Ackerman noted. He had been in the town long enough to know the patterns of the people, despite not being particularly friendly with them. They were all relatively one-dimensional, for the most part.

He was in his small, two-bedroom home, sitting at his petite kitchen table that gave him a nice view of the rainy weather. Unlike most of the Beach City residents, Levi didn't mind the rain. A light drizzle like this was an easy place to unwind. He read a newspaper, with his smartphone at his right and ready for use. Across the birch table, a laptop was charging next to the window. He held a mug of warm tea with both hands, eyes scanning the pages for anything interesting.

He took a sip, enjoying the taste and scent. Most tea drinkers didn't realize that smell was just as important as how it felt on your tongue.

Outside, a car rushed past his suburban home, the sound of water on asphalt being muffled through the window. The splatter was a harsh sound, but the rain made everything softer.

It was nice not dealing with that dumb supernatural bullshit.

Levi was a member of the military, spending his summer in the quaint little boardwalk town to do some scouting around, and experience some relaxation. Which, admittedly, didn't come easily to him.

There had always been some strange going-ons with this area, notably the recent monster infestation, which was taking pretty decent care of itself.

He hated it when problems were being taken care of. Normally whoever was taking care of the problem was a problem themselves.

He inhaled deeply and took another drink of tea, the scent of jasmine tickling the back of his throat.

He had scouted farther inland for a couple of months. There were some supernatural occurrences, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

Most especially since those fucking problems were being taken care of too.

He had heard a lot of positive feedback about the boardwalk the town was famous for. He had also heard a lot of nice things about the beach. Levi had no desire to visit either of them. People were annoying, most especially sand-covering giggling children that were especially prone to being abnormally willing to rub their filth on a stranger.

Actually, they probably wouldn't do that. The kids here were definitely better than those in Trost.

It was the lack of damn progress that was putting Levi on edge, making him particularly aggressive. Nothing in this town was _quite_ right. It felt like it was hiding something big. But he couldn't find anything wrong, either. It was an awful feeling. It's not like anyone would be mad at him for it being empty, but he'd be mad at himself. There was something going on here, and he couldn't find _anything._

To distract himself, Levi started reading over the e-mail that Erwin had sent out, trying to see if there was anything remotely useful.

_Lance Corporal Levi, the most recent report on Beach City indicates strong levels of energy being emitted from all over the town. The locals are normal, and there isn't any set pattern, though there are some higher concentration areas of where the energy can be found. We believe it's a species of popular lore, an alien in which there is substantial evidence of its existence._

_While this isn't much to go on, we'll get detailed information from Squad Leader Hanji about these creatures. She did come to the conclusion that they're extremely powerful, and not something to be messing with. Be careful, Levi._

_-Erwin Smith_

"Way to restate the facts, Erwin." He took a long swig of tea.

Secretly, he was pleased that a damn scientist was actually beginning work on the project.

He was tired of being stuck in a rut. He began re-reading his rather sparse notes, when there was a knock on the door.

 _What the actual fuck?_ Levi thought. He wasn't known for his friendliness, not in the slightest. Why was someone here?

They knocked again, rapidly, like they needed to hide, or get away from someone. This was a knock of someone who had a goal. Harsh, distinct rapping.

He felt his left pocket, making sure his pocketknife was still firmly tucked away. Old habits died hard. Fighting the Titan gang had been enough to convince him of that.

_Knock. Knock! Knockknockknock!_

The person was oddly persistent, even if it was made clear that he didn't want any company. Growling, he stood up, walked through the door and looked through the window.

It was a woman. She was shivering, her light, fluttery gown swaying with the weather. Her hair dripped with water, sliding down her bare arms, and dripping to the ground. Levi noticed that she was barefoot, but what really took his breath away was the look of utter fear in her wide eyes. She was absolutely trembling, shaking on his doorstep like she expected someone to hurt her if she didn't move. He hadn't seen a look like that for a couple of years. It was too familiar, as the twisted faces of his comrades who had died looking like that were seared in his mind.

But she was beautiful too. Despite her ragged appearance, she had hair that was as white as snow, flowing in wet tresses down her back. Her skin was only slightly darker, shining with a pale luster. Her limbs were thin yet muscular, attractive in her own pale way. Her eyes, the only colored portion of her body, were a lovely shade of (e/c.) Despite the lack of color in her skin, her lips were rosy and her cheeks were pink, making her look alive. Without the color, she would've looked... alien.

He opened the door, and stood in the doorway. The girl jumped, staring at Levi with terror. He had surprised her by opening the door. She was truly terrified.

"What do you want?" He asked, trying to decipher if the fear was genuine.

"I..." She grimaced, as pain rippled through her. Her frame shuddered.

"Don't throw up on my porch." Levi glared.

"No... I haven't eaten for a couple of years... Don't worry." She was hunched over, clearly in pain, but she weakly stood and met the ash eyes of Levi. He didn't think her joke was all that funny, either. "I need your help. Do you have an extra bedroom?"

Levi glared even more harshly in her direction. "I don't run a hotel service, dipshit."

"N-no, it's not that." She curled around her abdomen, clearly in agonizing pain. She stiffened, her gaze no longer fearful but entirely serious. "I'm about to retreat into a safe place. But while I'm there, my body is in a weak position."

"What the fuck are you talk-"

"Don't interrupt. I'll be easy, I promise, I won't eat anything at all, and I'll just stay there for about four days. Do. Not. Move. Me. Please." Her eyes were pleading, begging for her life.

"Sorry, sir." She whispered, hunching over with a groan.

Then, her body exploded in a puff of sparkly steam, and a diamond the size of his fist fell to the ground. He froze, ignoring the tell-tale _crack_ that had split through the stone.

Levi had finally found it, the cause of his troubles, and it was a hunk of rock sitting on his porch. He slowly squat down, and picked it up, cradling it to his chest. Levi didn't recognize the cut, but the many facets glittered in the light. He rubbed a thumb over it, feeling its smooth texture.

"You'll be answering plenty of questions when you come back, woman."

He walked inside, and closed the door on the weather.


	2. A Lead

Where the fuck do you put a diamond the size of a goddamn child's heart?

On a bookshelf. That's where.

Levi Ackerman wrapped the stone in a washcloth, setting you next to a couple of  military awards. Fumbling around with the useless pieces of metal, he finally managed something semi-natural.

He found an old stand, tossed a ratty baseball off of it, set it next to a yellowed globe, and positioned the gem so that it nicely hit the light. He was sure there was probably something in your alien culture about that being offensive, but you _were_ staying in his house. He also had a good view for when you decided to come back and party, just in case you tried pulling some funky shit.

Well, funkier shit.

Levi pulled a hand through his hair, exasperated. He was throwing his belongings around the room like they were trash, and all for a woman who decided it would be a good idea to explode on his porch.

He pointed at the rock, a growl low in his throat. "Fuck you."

There was a disappointing lack of reaction on your part.

But he also had some understanding of what you meant, being weak. Despite being a stranger, he knew the fear in your eyes too well. The fact that you were now a rock that any child could mistake for a soccer ball bothered him to no end. The _what if's_ bounced around in his head mercilessly.

And then his mind conjured up another image. One that shook him to the bone.

_What will the Legion do if they ever found her?_

He _was_ loyal, but not only did you break all rules of reality, you were bending his mind. He knew you were alien, he knew you definitely weren't from this planet, with your body being an illusion.

But the fear... It had seemed so...

Human.

He shook his head. Enough was enough for a day. Slowly, he got his bearings and methodically straightened up the living room. He walked back to his previous post in the kitchen, sat down, and sipped his tea.

He took a sip, enjoying the taste and scent. Most tea drinkers didn't realize that smell was just as important as how it felt on your tongue.

Levi ignored the sense of deja vu that coiled in his chest.

He didn't want to read his notes anymore. What was the point? He had, at least, an inkling of hope now. His hunch was correct, the entire city was experiencing some strange occurrences.

He had heard of the mayor of the town, a man falling victim to male pattern baldness, named Buck Dewey. He had seen the posters around town. With Beach City, what are you going to do if something goes wrong? He was the municipal government, not like there's much to work with.

But he'd probably know if something happened, if he wasn't able to act on it.

Levi wanted to smack his head on the table. Why didn't it occur to him, in the two months of investigating, to contact the local police force or government?

He pulled his laptop off of the charger cord, and began to do some research.

 

He sat in the waiting area of the mayor's office, reading messages on his phone. It had been a couple of days, and the gem still sat on his shelf like a decoration.

Levi still hadn't told Erwin. He didn't ever doubt his own beliefs, but he wanted to make sure he could help you in any way, as he decided earlier.

You didn't look like the invading type. He just didn't think someone who was made of light could be all that powerful. The weapons of the Legion _would_ destroy you. Maybe you wanted to go home. He never had really felt at home anywhere, so he didn't want to rob you of yours.

It sounded corny, but it was true. Levi had never been adjusted enough to a place in order to feel safe. So why would he take that away from you? You were human enough, with the terror that seemed so familiar. Secretly, he was envious of anyone who could feel safe in a structure. He learned long ago that no one really was.

A receptionist walked up to Levi and extended a smile.

"The mayor will see you now." She said, her voice gentle.

She pointed to a set of double doors that were across from where he was. Levi stood, stretched, and walked to them, pushing them open. It was an office, with a window overlooking the beach. He saw a couple of kids playing on the beach, a chubby boy and an Indian girl. They looked like they were having fun.

He pulled a chair out from in front of the mayor's desk, while the mayor himself watched carefully.

This man really seemed... petty, to be honest. He really just wanted re-election.

"So what can I do for you today, citizen?" He asked. He was red faced and all too full of himself. Typical politician in a dead-end job. Levi wanted to laugh.

"I'm doing some work. Is there any strange people living here, perhaps ones that aren't quite human?" He asked. While it was a struggle to be polite, he was still as blunt as ever.

The mayor chuckled. "Not really one for formalities, I see." He tried to sound condescending, but it just pissed Levi off. He could kill this man in too many ways to count, and this town would be the same.

"No." Levi responded, appearing apathetic despite his disgust.

The mayor laughed again, eyes shifting away from Levi's own piercing gaze. He began to sweat.

Disgusting.

"Well, now that you mention it, there are a couple things, here and there. I can't really keep track of all of them."

 _All of them? As in there's too many to count?_  Levi thought.

"Give me the most prominent examples." Levi ordered.

"There's some monsters here and there. For the most part the Universe kid and his buddies take care of them. I owe them a lot, to be honest. They've saved me my role in the town several times." The mayor said, twiddling his thumbs.

"Where does this Universe kid live?" He was experiencing excitement, he knew. For the sake of professionalism, he remained stoic.

The mayor rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't know that... But his dad runs a car wash."

Levi stood up and walked through the door without a word.

He pulled out his phone and texted Erwin.

_Levi- Found a lead._

He was protecting you for some unknown reason, but he wouldn't lie about this to Erwin. It was too big, there had been too many attacks and someone was bound to get hurt.

His phone buzzed.

_Erwin- Look into it. We'll send a couple of reinforcements over, just in case. They'll arrive in a week or so._

_Erwin- Be careful, Levi._

 

 


	3. Some Rocky Interactions

It had been a day and a half since Erwin had been contacted. Levi knew him- when he meant a week, it was typical of him to be early. In the frenzy that was preparing the homes for the reinforcements, Levi had forgotten about the rock sitting on the shelf.

The military had deeper pockets after the defeat of the Titans. After Levi contacted Erwin, they immediately bought a couple of properties, for the soldiers to share. Levi, fortunately, demanded his own individual place of residence.

He wasn't known for his social skills.

The day and a half had been hell, to say the least. Buying furniture, cleaning up the places, making sure they were livable. Like most members of the Legion, Levi didn't sleep easy. But his limbs were heavy with exhaustion, and he knew that he had worn himself out to the point where not even nightmares would wake him up.

Walking in his own home, he set down his cleaning supplies where they belonged, tossed his laptop case on the kitchen table, and walked to his bedroom, throwing off jacket his clothes and falling asleep on his bed.

 

White light shined through his eyes. He didn't even feel the least bit rejuvenated- not in the slightest. He was still very, very tired.

"Who the fuck turned the lights back on?" Levi growled, burying his face in a pillow.

_Wait. I live alone._

He scrambled out of bed faster than he ever had before, whipping out his pocketknife and sprinting to the source of the light.

The gem! Of course, the stupid gem!

It was emitting huge amounts of light. Cautiously, Levi approached it, knife at the ready. Just as he neared to grab it, it floated gently off the stand. Levi ran to the opposite side of the room, watching the physics-defying stone with wide eyes.

It hovered in the center of the room, finally exploding with even more light, forming a human shape before the distinctive features were filed out. Finally, you carved your nose, eyes, mouth and other body parts before dropping to the ground on your hands and knees.

You came back... different, Levi noticed, not moving, simply analyzing your panting form. You fluttery gown was speckled with pastel color, the back non-existent and showing off a gem that sat at the base of your spine. Your hair was a fluffy white puffball stopping at your shoulders, and ribbon coiled down your legs until it wrapped around the base of your feet. It was still hardly classifiable as shoes, however.

You still looked like you had seen a ghost, though. Your entire body quivered.

Finally, you got ahold of yourself enough to turn around and face Levi.

He didn't move, just examined you.

Your face was dusted with pink at your cheeks, pale skin smooth. Too smooth to be normal, but he was a bit preoccupied to notice it before. Your (e/c) eyes met his, and you gave him a huge grin before standing up, wobbling with your legs.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" You stood up and awkwardly walked to Levi, extending your hand in greeting.

He stared at it, not sure if it was okay to touch.

You frowned. "I thought this was how humans greeted each other. Am I doing it incorrectly?"

"You're not human." He replied.

"Well, no. I guess I'm not." You looked so innocent. "If I come from somewhere else, do I extend my foot instead?" You wiggled your toes and giggled. "I haven't seen it performed that way before."

Levi moved out of his spot, plastered against the wall.

"Tch. No. The hand is fine, idiot." He lumbered to the kitchen, leaving you in the living room with a very confused expression.

He began preparing tea, and you followed him, still very much confused.

 _Humans are volatile, I suppose. Most especially when you try and regenerate on their porch, unwelcomed_. You thought. _Still, it seems silly to prepare a beverage without proper introduction._ You sighed unhappily. _Perhaps it was my rather rude interruption earlier._

You observed him stick leaves in boiling water.

"I apologize for regenerating on your porch."

"Sit down and make it up to me by talking about what you are." He didn't look up from what he was doing, but you could tell he was serious.

You trotted over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat, waiting for your host. He finally sat across from you, and you met his eyes for awhile.

"What's your name?" He asked, sipping his drink, gaze unrelenting.

You shuffled uncomfortably. According to your research, most humans weren't this interrogative. "I'm Fluorite." You responded, looking at your feet. Yes, you quite like those ribbons.

"That sounds like the name of a bad stripper."

"What is a... stripper?" You asked, inquisitive.

"A person who takes off their clothes for money." He said, still not letting you leave his gaze.

"Oh." That was... informative. Apparently taking off clothing wasn't as intimate as you thought.

"Where are you from?" He asked, pulling out a smartphone.

You smiled sadly. "I'm from Homeworld. I've been gone for awhile, to say the least. I miss it a lot."

He quietly took notes. You assumed these questions were for the sake of repaying your debts that you owed. After all, he let you stay awhile.

"What are you doing on Earth?" He asked.

You straightened, lips set in a tight line. Wasn't this a pinch personal?

"I..."

"The truth, brat."

"I'm looking for someone." You relented, slouching in your chair.

"Who would that be?" He asked, cobalt eyes hard and demanding.

"A good friend." You snapped, growing angry. "I made a promise to her, and I've been looking for a very long time. This stupid planet is one of the last places I had to go to." You glared at the walls. "I hate this place."

Levi raised an eyebrow at your position on Earth. She looked like she didn't want to be here, not in the slightest. But the way that she glared seemed less hateful and more... scared, from what he could gather of your character. You didn't seem like one to hate very easily, unless... you were cornered. It made sense.

"Why the hell are you so scared of Earth?" He said.

You stiffened immediately, eyes whipping over to meet yours. You gave him a gaze that spoke of pity.

"You don't know much about your own planet, do you?" You laughed, hand running through your hair. "Of course. You wouldn't, your species was so young."

He disliked this change of pace. He disliked it a lot.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Your gaze turned dark. You weren't the fluttery, cheerful alien that he had met a few minutes prior. "I don't think you want to know, _human."_ Her words dripped with warning and venom.

"I don't think you have the right to decide that for myself. After all, you're just a _visitor._ You aren't really have the place to discuss what's right or wrong, seeing as _you're not from here."_

You sighed. "Yes, you would like to know. That is the nature of humans."

Why did she sound so condescending? It's not like she was his superior!

She met his eyes, for a brief moment. "Just be glad that the Quartz side won. Be so very glad."

"Why should I be happy about that?"

 _"Because you'd be very, very dead otherwise."_ She stood up. "You're tired. Humans need sleep. Go rest, and we'll continue to question in your morning."

Levi was about to protest, but her eyes were soft and tired.

"I'll still be here, I promise."

Falling asleep on that abrupt change of pace was difficult. He felt a bit upset, for he had managed to anger a huge lead as to what was going on here. He was a bit pushy, but he didn't know how an alien would react to that! He didn't know how she'd react at all!

But very clearly, she wanted to go home. His earlier suspicions had been correct. It was likely that she didn't even want to stay here, let alone answer his questions. She'd been looking for someone, and he'd distracted her. He knew what it felt like to be unable to make progress with a quest.

He had a feeling she did too.

However, the real thing that bothered him is how on edge she was about those two topics. Earth, and her friend. He could understand the searching for someone aspect, after all, he was a criminal once as well. For all he knew, she was too.

 _But Earth?_ Earth made no sense! Why be scared of this place, if you're avoiding major cities? And what the hell was 'the Quartz side?'

Levi finally fell asleep, thoughts spinning in circles until he peacefully drifted off.

You had promised the human that you'd stay until morning at least. You could feel it, that she was near, and staying wouldn't change that. The long journey was drawing to a close. You'd bring her back to Homeworld, and you'd be happy again.

You sighed. Human homes were dull. You were tired of travel, you didn't much care about trying new things anymore. You rubbed slow circles on your back, wincing at the crack in your gem.

"Was it that difficult to catch it?" You mumbled.

You'd sit down, and then stand up and walk a little, and sit down again. You were beginning to get stir-crazy, especially while the human slept.

That jerky human. He thought he was superior! It was almost adorable, to be frank. But you had also seen and felt things- it was part of your empathy magic. This human had seen war too.

This human had fought a war. He fought a war for too long, actually. This human was broken and trying to pick up the pieces. He always would cut his hands on the shards, however.

You tried to think yourself out, make it so that you'd feel less restless. It didn't work, so you instead walked out a door made of glass.

You sat down on his back porch, staring at the sky mournfully. Earth had a nice view of the stars, for sure. You unconsciously counted them, counted the stupid planets you'd visited, the stupid planets that gave you no clues where she could be. You buried your face in your hands.

You'd wasted a lot of time, seeing the stars. You missed home, you missed her, you missed being safe.

You quietly cried into your palms.

How lonesome it was to be away from home.

For awhile, it was nice to cry. Cry away all the wasted years, the empty planets that you looked in just out of desperation.

The universe was too big, sometimes.

After a couple hours, you sat up, straightened yourself out, and stared at the sky. It twinkled.

You pointed a finger at it.

"That's where home is." You whispered to yourself. "That's where I'll bring you. I promise."

For awhile you were content to hold the distant glittering planet that was Homeworld in your palm. It was a trick of perspective, you knew. But it warmed your heart anyway.

"What are you doing?" The human groggily murmured, walking behind you.

Startled, you jumped, but you realized that it had, indeed, been seven or eight hours, and pink was forming distantly on the horizon. The sun was coming.

Blinking, you returned to looking at Homeworld, this time clasping your hands together. Holding it was an empty gesture, anyway.

"What were you pointing at?" He continued to ask, sitting next to you with a half-lidded gaze and a mug of tea.

You wondered faintly if this human had an addiction to the beverage.

He nudged you with an elbow. You stiffened at the contact.

"Not a rhetorical question, brat."

"Fluorite." You glared. "My name is _Fluorite."_

"Fine. Not a rhetorical question, _Fluorite."_

What harm would it do in telling him? The human would never see Homeworld anyway.

"Wait." You said, giving the man a slightly inquisitive glance. "If you expect me to spill my secrets, why can't you tell me your _name?"_

He paused, mug midway to his mouth. "Levi." He sleepily responded. "My name is Levi. Now what were you pointing at?"

"Home." You responded. "I was looking at home. My home."

You two sat in silence for awhile.

"How far away is it?" He asked. You knew this human was a control freak- he was going to look it up, you were certain.

"It's far away, let's leave it at that." You responded. You didn't mean to be sarcastic, but homesickness twisted in your chest and you needed no reminders.

"And," he sipped, "how long have you been looking for this friend?"

You blinked. That was... an interesting question.

"It's been a long time. Too long, if you ask me."

He eyed you with a half-lidded gaze. "So four, five years?"

You giggled. Then started full on laughing, fat tears rolling down your cheeks. Your midsection ached.

"Oh, much longer."

He responded with a grunt. What was so funny? That was a long time to be looking for someone.

Maybe by getting closer to you, he'd find out a little more about yourself and species. It was as good a start as any, as far as Levi was concerned.

"What's the culture of... whatever the hell you are... like?" The sentence didn't go all that smoothly.

You were very confused. "Why do you care?"

"Just want to know." Levi responded.

Your empathy magic ticked. This man was a planner, for certain.

"You want to know in case the gems choose to invade, don't you?" You said, crossing your arms with a smirk.

He choked on his tea. How'd she glean that information?

"Fine, shitstick. Yes, that's why I want to know."

You smiled deviously, pride swelling in your chest. "If the Quartz side wasn't defending you, be glad that your death would be quick."

It didn't matter if you weren't on any particular side. But you could be proud of your species technological superiority.

"I'm sure. What can you do to me?" Levi responded. She was made of light. He would be surprised if she could touch him.

"Well, all gems have weapons, you know. We're never really unarmed." You responded. You rolled your eyes as you sensed his apparent satisfaction. "I can touch you, you know. And if I punch you, it'll hurt. You elbowed me earlier- isn't that proof enough?"

 _Shit. I forgot._ You were entirely solid, apparently.

"Where the fuck do you hide a weapon? Your dress isn't good for shit." Levi responded. He winced at how unintentionally sexual that sounded.

"I'm not telling you where it is." You smiled. "Not that you could take it, anyway."

He set down his cup and glared in her direction. "Why the fuck are you so sassy all of a sudden?"

"Because you  asked me a series of personal questions, the answers you had no business knowing, _before I even knew your name!"_ You growled.

Great. He pissed off his guest and only lead.

Nice, Levi. Real nice.

And again, you two sat in silence for awhile.

You, despite the fact that you implied that you didn't need sleep, looked exhausted. Dark circles framed your eyes.

"You need sleep." He was going to add _'so you'll be less of a bitch,'_ but he figured he wouldn't win any favors that way.

"No I don't." You responded with a glare. "Gems don't need sleep."

"You sure as hell look like you need sleep." He remarked.

"Well, I don't." You snapped.

"You look like shit. Get sleep."

You were silent. Slowly, you reached behind yourself and slowly rubbed your gem. Massaging it didn't help, but you had a feeling it was a contributing reason for your fatigue.

"It's cracked." You whispered. "That's not healthy."

"Well, sleeping couldn't hurt."

You shakily stood up, wanting some form of rest. "I guess so."

You wobbled to the guest bedroom.

 

 


	4. 1,935,700

 

You woke to the sound of voices. Your lower back ached fiercely, and your limbs felt weak and noodly. The door in the bedroom was closed, the analog clock by the bedside indicating that it was a rather late hour to be awake. Your empathy magic shifted uncomfortably. Someone else was in the house. Many someones, actually.

You reached for the doorknob, trying to blink away the last remnants of sleep when you saw a sticky note taped to the door. Confused, and curious, you peeled it off the door and unfolded the paper.

_Fluorite, if you have any desire to get home quickly, you'll listen._

_I understand if you're pissed off, but there are some important guests coming, and if they knew what you were there would be some mixed reactions. So when you wake up, if there's more than just me in the house, cover your gem._

_Trust me._

_-Levi_

You lurched forward slightly. The thoughts that you were picking up were very mixed. Some people definitely were here. They were also certainly making you uncomfortable. You looked around the room, padding on quiet feet, and looked through the closets.

There wasn't really anything, so you took a plush blanket and wrapped it around yourself. You were aware that your skin tone wasn't the most human, so with your flushed cheeks and paleness, you could pass as sick.

You gently turned the doorknob, walking slowly into the living room. As far as gems went, you certainly weren't tall. In fact, your height was comparable to Levi's, which was good. Being freakishly tall didn't help your case.

When you walked into the living room, you noticed that there were five other people. Many had pulled up chairs, including Levi, and the couch was occupied with a group of three. One gave you an odd vibe- like his mind wasn't right.

Levi eyed you, appearing apathetic. You could sense his anxiety, but also some satisfaction. You looked passibly ill.

"Levi, who's this?" A man asked. His mind was funky as well, giving off the vibes of a dreamer.

"This is (y/n.) She came into Beach City a little while ago with no place to stay and she collapsed on my porch." He responded.

A woman, a brunette that gave off waves of excitement, walked up to you with a grin that stretched to her cheeks. "So Shorty got a girlfriend, huh?! She's cute, I'll give you that!" She grinned wickedly in the direction of Levi, who was giving her a dangerous glare. She stuck out a hand, smiling widely. "I'm Hanji Zoe, a coworker of your friend over there!"

You cautiously took it. "(Y/n.) Nice to meet you."

She smiled, squeezing your fingers firmly. You resisted the urge to recoil.

"You must be so confused! Well, the man with the funky eyebrows is  Erwin, our boss, and those three little dorks over there are Armin, Mikasa and Eren. Hopefully we'll see you around!"

You were thankful for the introductions, to say the least. You walked gently towards Levi, who stood in the threshold between the kitchen and living room.

"I'm uh, getting some..." You didn't know what sick humans ate!

"Chicken noodle soup. It's in the cupboard." He responded. You gratefully nodded, walking to the cupboard.

 _I'm not eating this human shale._ You thought, looking at the food warily. The glass door was in the kitchen, you noticed. You could sit outside, be out of the way.

You reached for the door handle, stopping when a voice rang out.

"If you're sick you shouldn't be heading outside." You turned to the bearer of the voice, Armin, and stared at him, anxiety bubbling in your chest.

"It relaxes me." You responded, eyes looking slightly away from his own. "It reminds me of my home."

"Oh." He nodded. "I understand homesickness, but it's not healthy."

Your chest ached. This boy knew nothing of homesickness.

"Leave her alone. She's getting better." Levi responded to Armin.

Armin looked confused, but he shrugged it off and sat next to his friends, adjusting his stance and seating. He resumed taking notes, and you just solemnly opened the door.

The night was warm. It was nice, actually. Your hearing adjusted, and you gently listened to the conversation through a crack in the door.

"Levi, we were discussing the lead before we were interrupted. We know the basics- you suspect extraterrestrials. Where is the proof in your statement?" Erwin asked. "It isn't that I don't believe you, but there needs to be a larger amount of evidence before we relocate more than just one squad to the city."

You stiffened. This was his military work, huh? Finding gems like you, and selling them out to big military organizations?! They weren't superior to you!

You grit your teeth. Lying, playing, jerk. You didn't know anything about Earthen customs and he used you for it!

You reached to your gem, gently and quickly pulling out your weapon. If he wasn't going to uphold his promise of safety, than you didn't need to keep your weapon hidden. You would defend yourself.

"There's proof all around us. The mayor himself noted that there had been several incidents, many of which he didn't even record. While there is no evidence in my general area, the pattern would surely continue." Levi responded.

You let your weapon dissipate.

"Of course I misjudge." You murmur.  "This man is difficult."

"Meeting adjourned."

The screen glass door slid open. Armin peeked his head outside.

"Hey, sorry about earlier. I don't know if you'll be feeling better, but tomorrow Levi said that we'll all go on a tour of the city. So hopefully I'll see you then?" He asked.

"Yeah. Of course." You gave a weak smile.

"Good." Armin closed the door.

You buried your face in your palms.

"Good going. I just agreed to be stuck here even longer."

You let Levi sleep again. While rest didn't heal a cracked gem, surely you'd find something that helped. The next morning, you sat at the table, reading a human book. It was relatively entertaining, if a bit silly. Humans had no magical potential.

Once again, Levi joined you, after you'd been reading for awhile.

"How's Harry Potter?" He asked, sipping his tea and typing away at his laptop.

You turned the book upside down, hoping a message would reveal itself. Nothing happened, unfortunately. "It's a bit far-fetched."

He smirked. "That's what we like about it."

"Yes, yes. Human inferiority complexes and all that." You put the book down, and faced Levi. "How long am I welcome here?" You asked. "I don't mean to intrude. But with gem honesty I'm staying with you at least until the end of the tour."

Levi paused. "I'm getting straight to the point. There's been a lot of monster attacks recently. I don't know what makes these things tick, but I'm guessing you're more qualified to handle them. If you'll help us- the Legion, I'll appreciate it."

You shifted uncomfortably. "Will I still be able to look for my friend?"

He shrugged. "You're an informant, not a prisoner. You can do what you want."

"How long do I have to decide?" You asked.

"You can stay however long you want. If you're coming on the tour, find an effective way to cover that thing." He said, gesturing to your back.

A blush rose to your cheeks. "I... You..." Stuttering, you fumbled with your hands until they covered your gem.

Levi shrugged. "Or you can pretend it's a gaudy artifact or something. No glowy shit." He warned.

"Y-yes. I'll do that." You mumbled, walking to the guest bedroom.

You sat on the bed.

"Oh, how embarrassing." You muttered.

Now what were the benefits to staying here? A base of operations would be nice, for certain. That was a definite benefit. And, you could find out about human culture! That would be important, most especially if she was hurt... You'd both need a place to stay. There were a couple of downsides, like having to answer questions, but Levi seemed pretty honest.

The monsters he mentioned rang a bell. If there was any chance that they were what you suspected, than they'd definitely be in trouble. The fact that there were monsters being taken care of, suggested something else entirely.

"They were all supposed to be wiped out." You muttered, rubbing your temples. "There wasn't supposed to be anymore Crystal Gems."

You fell back onto the mattress. The human, Levi, wasn't too unpleasant. Everything would be easier if you could get an idea of Earthen customs.

There was a knock on your door.

"Hey, brat, we're going to be meeting my co workers in a moment. Just be ready." Levi said through the doorway, his voice muffled by the wood.

"Alright!" You said, pulling yourself together. "I hope I don't regret this." You quietly added.

When you and Levi finally pulled out of the home, on the doorstep was Erwin, Hanji, Armin, Mikasa and Eren.

"There's... More..." You whispered to Levi, at the sight of more people. It was an entire group actually, twelve or so people excluding yourselves. You thought that everyone was there yesterday. Apparently you were wrong.

"Yeah. There is. Don't worry about it." He said.

It was weird being above everyone else. They all sat on his front lawn, some paying attention to what he was saying, others whispering between themselves. Levi, Hanji, Erwin and yourself stood on the porch while you saw everyone below you.

With your magic there was mixed emotions rolling off of them- definitely some mixed emotions. But a strong feeling of comradery was between all of them. Some mistrust here and there, but loyalty wove these people together tightly.

"Ready to go, brats?" Levi asked. The teenagers saluted and responded with a quick "Yes sir!"

The march through town was quick. It was pretty simple, and most of the kids wanted to go to the boardwalk. You walked in the weird null space between Levi and the teenagers. They were separated, with a gap wide enough to walk through between them. It was easy, being able to walk without the bothers of conversation.

You all turned to the boardwalk. There, you resisted the urge to shudder. Your empathy magic picked up immediate human emotions, but gems could leave feelings embedded in places. There were lots of embedded emotions, for certain.

"This all looks so new." Someone in the group of teenagers muttered. An unknown- your mind didn't connect them with any particular face.

 _Yes. Because everything had to be rebuilt._ You thought, looking at all the new buildings, quiet at the memories that rushed through you currently.

Levi dropped his pace to catch up with you. "You look sick." He noted.

"There's been a lot of things that have gone on here." You quietly replied.

He raised an eyebrow. "Things of interest?"

You quietly hugged your midsection, keeping your pace even with Levi.

"Of a sort." You muttered, avoiding his eyes.

The teenagers abruptly stopped.

"Hey! An arcade!" One yelled. Excitement rolled off him in waves.

"Go ahead." Erwin said.

The teens rushed in, and you had a feeling that they were earning some childhood back. The sense that you got off of Erwin was melancholy, as if he knew that he had robbed these children of their childhoods.

"How long are we going to give them?" Asked Levi. Hanji had sprinted into the arcade with a bag of quarters, leaving you three outside, alone.

"We'll give them a while." He responded simply.

You just stood a little ways away, quietly watching the kids.

"Hey, (y/n.)"

You looked at Erwin. This was the first time he'd spoken to you.

"Yes?" You asked, curious.

"Try a game." He held out a quarter. You walked over to him, cautiously grabbed it, and walked into the arcade. The emotions coming off of Erwin were difficult to deduce, so you simply obeyed him.

You walked into the arcade, scanning it for something to play. There was a couple of interesting ones, but a bald teen playing a game with white balls caught your interest.

You tapped his shoulder. He turned to face you, giving a goofy grin.

"Can you help me with this?" You asked, pointing to the game.

"Sure thing! It's (y/n,) right? I'm Connie." He pulled a white ball out of the slot, and gave it to you. "This is Skee-Ball. You just toss these into the holes, like this." He rolled a ball up the hill  of the console, scoring a fifty. "Your goal is to get the highest score."

You tossed the ball a couple of times in your hands, getting a feel for the weight.

"Hmm. I can do this." You said, examining the sphere.

"Well don't get cocky. You have limited amounts of time." He said, rolling another ball.

"May I?" You asked, gesturing to the console.

"Sure, just don't lose too many points." He said, crossing his arms.

"I won't," you responded seriously, which confused Connie slightly.

You stood in front of the console, gripping the ball, and then you threw it, and before Connie could even catch what you were doing, you'd scored him five hundred points.

You smiled happily. "That was easy!" It was- you had gotten it pretty quickly.

Sputtering, Connie just returned to his game. You grabbed your quarter, and inserted it into the slot of the machine next to Connie's own.

You cleared your mind, and at the ding of the machine, you grabbed ball after ball, and started throwing.

By the end of the game, a small crowd had formed. There were plenty of laughs and raised hands, begging for high fives, (which you didn't understand the concept of,) but the sense of self-satisfaction was a good feeling. You trotted back up to Levi, giving a big grin, before happily walking between the two groups again.

"She's very sociable." Erwin said, nudging Levi.

He just grunted, staring at the score that was plastered on the machine.

_1,935,700_


	5. Interactions and Future Outings

Erwin sat at the desk of the new Scouting Legion location, mulling over the past events of the last few hours. Everyone had gone home- the tour went swimmingly, and everyone had gotten along spectacularly.

However, Levi had been right about the strangeness of the place, the complete oddness. It did seem normal on the exterior, but that was because most everything was new. Sometimes, he caught sight of a scorch mark blasting across a wall, or a plank of wood- entire sections, actually, that appeared freshly replaced.

Everything was new, like something had destroyed the town repeatedly and they just kept rebuilding. It was strange, but reassuring. This town wasn't going to be a bust, Erwin could feel it.

Especially with the new seemingly recruit, (y/n.)

Erwin knew something wasn't right. Levi and (y/n,) they had taken a liking towards another. Levi, as good a soldier as he was, typically behaved like an unlikable ass. He was refraining from cursing her out, he was refraining from correcting her strange behavior.

Levi just... didn't do that.

Erwin couldn't even place what he was doing in the 'suspicious' category.

You were another story, however. Everything about you wasn't right.

It was like you were trying to be as human as possible. But if you were among a group, he noticed, your emotional reactions were delayed. It wasn't that you didn't have them, it's that you didn't look like you entirely understood what was going on, like you were on the butt end of culture shock.

The really strange thing about your emotional responses wasn't that you didn't have them, you responded normally on an individual level. But if there was something you didn't understand, like an arcade game, you almost acted as if it was cute, or novelty. You hid this condescending aura for the most part, but streaks of it shone occasionally. He couldn't really place where it came from, since it also appeared that you had some difficulty understanding human technology, like powerful laptops.

Another thing he found strange was that you also couldn't handle touch screens. With the few instances he had seen, there were times where perfectly responsive phones wouldn't register your touch. And the first time that occurred, you gently examined the device, giving a small chuckle and nodding your head in understanding as if you'd figured out some kind of code. It was just strange.

You also didn't appear to register pain, from what he'd gathered. There were moments where some strange, almost cartoonish ways of moving your body, ways that would go against human muscular structure, rippled through your frame with no ill effect. You chose to walk on the boardwalk with nothing but a ribbon wrapping- small pebbles didn't hurt the bottom of your feet, neither did splinters. You'd sometimes have someone bounce into you- there wasn't any visible balance correction he could identify. Erwin had worked with a special piece of equipment for many years- one that required a lot of balance. It was unsettling to see that come so easily to you.

But the largest piece of evidence, the most suspicious one, was that there wasn't much evidence of your existence. The Legion had some powerful photo analyzation technology, and the only photos of you that had registered with the program were the meager few taken today and the past three or four as well. Other than that, there wasn't any real digital proof of your existence.

Erwin pored over the documents on Beach City he could find. There was suspicion, but as someone who could investigate, he could look into you and the city as well. He had made a loose plan with what he could do with the city- a general tour wasn't going to be enough to nail down all the loose ends, and Beach City also had some surrounding forestry that surely had a plethora of information.

He stacked his documents neatly, pulling out the important photos and pinning them on a piece of corkboard. Visual representations always helped him connect the clues easily. Hesitantly, he pinned a picture in the center of his web.

Your white hair framed your face, blowing in the breeze. Your dress, with its diamond shaped back cut-out that showed off a strange embezzlement, and you swayed gently, examining a leaf that had blown into your palms. Erwin placed a sticky note marked with a question mark in the upper right hand corner of your photo.

He was going to look into you.

 

When the two of you walked inside, Levi sat down his things, and like you had observed him doing before, he went and prepared some tea. It was ritualistic, you noticed. The beverage was something that relaxed him.

You rolled your eyes as he continued the preparation process. He was awfully silly, doing that so often. You shrugged and walked to the guest bedroom in which you had made yourself comfortable, dragging a bear behind you.

You had won quite a few tickets with your score at the arcade, and unknown to yourself at the time, you earned yourself a huge prize. You didn't want it, either- offering the tickets to Krista, another cadet you had taken a liking to, or Eren. Neither of them accepted, too impressed with your score to take your prize. So after some squabbling,  you decided to claim a massive, stuffed blue bear. It was just as large as you were, but you carried it all day without any complaint.

Tomorrow everyone was going to the beach. You hadn't relaxed in the water for a long time, so you were more than happy to agree to the outing. You had a sneaking suspicion that there was something else going on, but you had figured out that Erwin, the Commander of the cadets, was giving them a break. Your magic had detected old traumas, so you figured that they were distracting themselves.

You arranged the bear next to the bed, patting its head before walking out of your room and heading outside to the porch. You were going to scout around tonight- you had detected traces of warp-pad use here and there. You'd maybe try and find the source.

Levi shouldered past you, sitting on a deck chair and observing you silently. You were gazing at the horizon, he noted, scrutinizing it with a clear target in mind.

He was curious.

"What did you notice that seemed so fucked up?" He asked.

You turned to face him.

"Hm? What are you referring to?" You tucked an errant strand of snowy hair back into its place.

"You seemed spooked earlier." He eyed you, taking a drink of tea. "What was that about?"

You nodded, eyes shifting away from Levi's. "Ah. That."

It was silent, your dress swaying around you, fabric rippling. Levi stared at you patiently, waiting for a response. You cleared your throat,and coughed awkwardly, mulling over good responses to his question.

"I..." You pressed your lips together in thought. "I was... overwhelmed. It was a sensory issue, that humans and gems don't typically have."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "So you're defective?"

You whipped towards him, entire body stiff. "No! I'm not!"

Taken aback by your suddenness, Levi glared at you.

"I- sorry." You awkwardly scratched the back of your head. "It was... just- I... Sorry. Again, sorry." You sighed. "Sensitive topic. Not really a fan of that term." You wrinkled your nose.  "It's not so much being defective, as it is being overwhelmed. Humans are known for big, flashy, cutesy, light displays, that take awhile to take in, right?"

Levi wanted to punch you every time you said 'cutesy' when describing humanity. It made you seem much too arrogant.

"Yeah." He responded, cold.

"Well, it was like that. I was seeing a lot at once, with very little time to sit down and think." You tried to remain cryptic about exactly what had happened. Not everything needed to be revealed.

"What were you seeing?" Levi had noticed how you danced trickily around the statement, trying to avoid saying certain words.

You were silent. You had known Levi for about a week, half the time repairing your form- it wasn't easy to deduce if he was trustworthy or not.

"I told you. You can trust that I won't tell Erwin anything, though there is no guarantee that he won't find out on his own." Levi knew that this was an impressive step to take, especially for you. You could come across as angry or happy, but not particularly trusting, save for when you were regenerating.

"I trust that you'll uphold that, but it isn't even really in the realm of human sciences." You perked up, an idea coming to mind. "Hold on..."

You walked inside, scanning the kitchen for what you were looking for. Upon finding it, you walked outside and sat next to Levi, scooting a chair next to him.

"It's more like this." You placed the Harry Potter novel on the outdoor glass table in front of you two.

"It's more like a book?" Levi asked, staring at the volume, trying to process what you were saying.

"Nonono! It's more like," you flipped through the pages violently, "this, with the magic. Though there isn't really any place where you're taught to use it on Homeworld..."

Levi silently read the page and then looked at your nervous body. You weakly smiled.

"...You're saying that you're magical."

"Of a sort." You grabbed the book and hesitantly sped through the pages, reading the entire thing quickly in a few seconds. "It's got accurate elements, but the rest that I flipped through ventured away from anything remotely accurate." You pointed to the words near the end of the book. "In theory, this whole 'Philosopher's Stone' could be a gem. As in, someone like me. A member of my species."

Levi was slightly dumbfounded. "The fangirls would piss themselves..." He muttered, too low for you to properly hear.

"Um... Yeah. It actually possesses quite a few gem properties, like having magical energy and being carried in a carbon based form." You rubbed the words on the page. "But there are a couple things that are incorrect as well. For instance, gems really don't give away regenerative powers to people. Nor do they heal people with no body. I could see whatever this 'Voldemort' fellow was doing as fusion, but it wasn't really right either. But other than that, a lot of this is semi-accurate. There are a few things that can stop a gem from regenerating a body, like the stone in the book. Embedding or bubbling, for one."

"Wait, what the fuck is bubbling?" He asked, looking at you with a confused expression.

"Bubbling? Why do you want to know about bubbling?" You asked.

"Because anything that is called bubbling must be questioned. Couldn't you have come up with a better name?"

"Well, bubbling is really just a descriptive title, more than anything else. It pretty much tells you what it does."

"So you bubble things."

"Yes, that is the basics of bubbling. But it also holds whatever is in the bubble in that state. If a human was ill or hurt, you could bubble them. Their body would remain the same, until they popped the bubble."

Levi rubbed his temples. It was stupid to assume that her species was inferior, that much he had learned from this excursion, since they could, in theory, cure cancer.

"Give me a second." He met your gaze. "You're telling me that you use this to casually hold people in artificial comas?"

"I guess. Most gems just use it to ease their everyday lives."

"How?" He asked.

"Well, let me show you."

You gently placed your hands around the book, and then grew a white bubble around it. It stayed stationary in the center of the orb, twisting and spinning, displaying the cover. The orb hovered between your hands, shining in the light. It was clear- you could still see the book through a white-tinted haze. When the light hit the bubble, it shone with a rainbow iridescence.

"There. That's a Fluorite bubble."

Levi stood up and examined the bubble, looking over it, under it, gazing at the book. He didn't touch it, but he scrutinized every detail of the shimmering sphere. He gently grabbed your pale hand and peeked between your fingers and the bubble, cautiously placing a finger in the space between the two. You blushed slightly.

"Well? What do you think? It's not all that special, but I guess it's pretty cool. Most bubbles don't shine like that."

He was still examining it, cautiously avoiding the touch of the surface.

"You can gently touch them, you know. Don't squeeze or hit them, but they won't hurt you."

He glared at you warily.

"I promise."

He hesitantly placed three fingers on the surface of the bubble, eyes widening at the touch. He quickly removed them, looking at his fingers curiously.

"It wasn't slimy. Most bubbles here are from a soapy, slimy mix. That was dry. It was cold. Not slimy. It was almost-"

"Crystalline." You said in unison.

He still examined the bubble, not noticing the satisfied smile adorning your features. Not smug, but satisfied.

 _Earth may be worth fighting for. If everyone on this planet is as eager to learn as he is... It could be beautiful one day._ You blinked away the thought. How random...

"You know, there's still another thing that you can do with it." You said, watching as his cobalt eyes met yours.

You moved your hands in a vertical position along the top axis of the bubble, and then spread your hands apart, watching as the orb slitted itself into nothingness.  In its place was a shower of gentle sparkles, shining with the remnants of the bubble.

Levi stepped back, eyeing your hands.

"Where did it go?" He asked.

"Follow me." You grabbed his hand, and pulled him inside, turning into the guest bedroom, where the orb, book and all, hovered above your bed.

He circled it again, doing the same silly procedure.

"Here," you smiled, placing your hands on the horizontal side of the orb and then moving forward as it lazily hovered between your palms.

"Pop it." You suggested. "It's not like a sea foam bubble. Use both hands and pry it apart."

Levi did as told, sticking his hands inside the bubble, grasping the edge and then ripping it apart. The book tumbled to the ground. He picked it up, flipping through the pages, skimming over the words.

"That's fucking insane." He finally commented.

"I... Well..." You blushed at the statement. "I'll take that as a compliment."

He grabbed your hands and started examining them. He rubbed over every crease, bent each and every finger. It was a strange procedure, but it seemed intimate and kind. Your ears were flushed with color and your cheeks were tinted with pink.

"What are you doing?" You asked, as he scrutinized your fingers.

"Can you do it to people too?" He asked, entirely focused on your hands.

"Well, in theory, but I don't really think-"

"Could it save them in an emergency?"

"I guess, but look, I-"

"Could it save a life?"

You ripped your hand from his grasp. You shuddered slightly. The powerful emotion of longing ran off of him in waves, supplying your mind with enough memories to make you deeply saddened for this man.

"Levi, if someone is dead it doesn't do anything."

His hands fell to his sides, his emotions cooled.

"Sorry."

You were slightly surprised at the sentiment. You knew it was out of character for him say something like that.

"It's alright. I regret a lot of lives as well." You said, sitting on the bed and placing the novel on the bedside table.

"I don't regret losing them. I regret none of the lives that were lost against the... ahem, the..."

"The what, Levi?" You asked, nudging for him to sit next to you.

"Titans. A human gang, is what they were. Experimenting with some illegal-ass shit and killing a lot of good people. They tried taking a couple of regions, and succeeded with Maria for awhile." He sat down and sighed. "Do I regret sending those people to die? No."

You knew that he meant it. He meant it with every fiber of his being.

"Do I miss the good people? I miss them a lot. I want to fight next to them or see them again, but I don't regret their deaths so much as I miss their presence."

You were silent. You couldn't tell if he was desensitized to the slaughter of what you surmised were his comrades, or if he was more sensitive that most gems you'd met.

You decided on more sensitive. You felt that he and Rose Quartz would have gotten along. Old gem broadcasts showed the same kind of indirect passion.

"If it makes you any more at peace with yourself, they knew that they fought for a good, albeit harsh man."  You responded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can understand why you asked about saving someone in a bubble. But there is an ethical decision as well. The person in a bubble is trapped in that state. Gems retreat back into their gem to regenerate. Humans don't, so you'd be sticking someone who is seriously hurt and in a lot of pain in an inescapable hell, where they can't leave that agony unless they want to risk death. So the real question is, would you rather inflict pain upon your comrade, or let them die?"

He was silent.

"It depends." He answered. He turned to you. "Can gems die?"

You nodded. "Yes. Everything can die. There isn't anything truly immortal." You pressed your lips. "Now, is it difficult to kill a gem? Most certainly. If done improperly, the gem will regenerate or in worse scenarios, corrupt."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Your species sounds so fucked up."

"I'm not denying that by human standards, we could be classified as that. But we have more vulnerabilities, in a unique way."

"Jesus Christ. That's too much for one day. Too much personal shit." He looked at you warily. "I'm going to work."

"Alright."

Sunset sent red, orange and sherbet streaks through your window. The sun still blazed brightly on the horizon, and the gentle crash of waves sounded through the town, hissing and bubbling.

"I'm going to the beach." You said, staring at the retreating form of Levi.

"I don't give a fuck." He announced in response.

You opened the back glass door, stepping off the porch and into the lawn, jumping over the back fence and landing on street that took you to the beach. Glancing back at Levi's emerald colored home, you smiled in its direction before walking to the beach.

When you finally reached the shore, you gently walked up to the water's edge, where it lapped against the sand, docile. You gently squatted and then stuck your finger in the water, smiling at it weakly before standing up and walking down the beach.

It was odd, you noticed. The city appeared to be a peninsula, and there was a cliff that Levi mentioned being in the area, but did the cliff lead to the ocean or to the sand? If it was at the sand, surely it would be a nicer area than the tourist-infested commercial beaches. You just wanted to find a nice place for tomorrow's outing with newfound acquaintances.

You continued along the beach, coming across the first couple of people you'd seen in awhile. In the distance, a dark-skinned girl and a chubby boy played on the shore. They giggled and splashed, creating lots of happy chatter that hummed towards you.

"They probably know a good spot." You muttered to no one in particular.

You began marching through the sand towards them, noticing their cautiousness and subdued tendencies as you neared.

"Hello?" You called, hoping for a response. "Hello? I was wondering if you could help me out a little bit."

As you neared, you noticed the big yellow star on the boy's shirt, and the strange frame-less glasses belonging to the girl. They certainly were an odd couple, and you could sense the apprehension of the girl.

Finally, you got within conversational range, and you noticed that these were Earthen children.

"Hello. I was wondering if you could help me?"

The boy- who had an overwhelmingly friendly aura, walked towards you with a big, happy grin.

"Of course! I'm Steven, and this is Connie!" He extended a hand, ignoring the hushed cries of his friend.

"Steven, she could be dangerous!" She whispered, keeping well away.

"Connie, she's friendly!" He poked your arm, rubbing circles in the flesh. "See, frieeennnnnnnndly."

"Ah... Yes, friendly." Using your other arm, you gently lifted his hand off of your arm and then ruffled his fluffy black hair affectionately.

"Uh, listen. I was wondering if you knew a good spot on the beach away from tourists? I have a couple of close... comrades, if you will, coming tomorrow and I want it to be a nice outing." The girl was still frowning, but Steven's entire face lit up with joy.

"Yeeessssss! I know the best spot!" He yelled happily.

"Steven!" Hissed Connie, "You don't even know her! Are you going to let her go near-"

"It's by the temple!" He yelled, interrupting his friend. "It's that way!" He pointed farther down the beach, around the end of the peninsula.

"Oh, thank you." You nodded. You wanted to leave them alone. The girl didn't seem to like you much.

"No problem!" Steven continued to yell, but despite the strangeness of it, Connie didn't seem to mind it.

"I'll be on my way, but thank you aga-"

"Are you a Crystal Gem?"

You sputtered at the question. How did that unassuming boy know anything about the gems?

"What? I, what?! N-no! Of course not! I don't know what th-those are!" You tumbled on the sentence as it crawled out of your mouth. It sounded so fake, and you wanted to punch yourself at your horrible acting.

"Then why do you have a stone embedded in your back?" Connie inquired, daringly stepping close to you. Steven began to poke your gem.

"That looks like a gem!" He said, poking his finger in the crack that split the rock.

You hissed and shuddered at the feeling.

"S-s-stop that!" You cried, cold shudders slithering up and down your arms.

"Admit it! You're a gem!" Connie cried, stepping closer.

Grabbing Steven's arms and pulling them gently from your back with quivering fingers, you tucked his hands at his side.

"Thank you. I'm taking my leave." You sighed.

As you turned in the opposite direction, you heard a final call from Steven.

"If you are a gem, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl would really like to meet you! They're gems too!"

You shivered, and walked even more quickly down the beach and to home.

When you got there, you ignored the inquisitive stare of Levi and went straight to your room, closing the door.

"What am I doing?" You whispered to yourself.

 

 


	6. Tourmaline is Dead. Alexandrite stands in her Stead.

"(Y/n!) (Y/n!)"

Someone yelled through the heated beach air, where you peacefully sat on the shore. The surf tickled your bare toes and rushed through the satin ribbons wrapped around your feet and legs, cooling your warm skin. Your dress, speckled with pastel streaks of color, fluttered in the waves. You didn't bother to change- your clothing was easily dried.

"Yes?" You replied. You weren't certain who was calling you, but responding was polite.

You heard the telltale 'squelch' of someone running through wet sand. Flecks of the fine sand peppered your back as the person sprinted to you. You brushed them off and gazed behind you.

A panting, soaked, Eren approached, shirtless and bathing suit soaked with water. He flicked his wet bangs out of his eyes, and with a goofy grin padded towards you.

"The guys and I were wondering why you weren't in a swimsuit." He asked. "That dress can't be comfortable to swim in. You see, we were hoping that you could snorkel with us. We heard there's a decent reef out there."

Eren held out a bright orange plastic tube and mask, grinning goofily.

You gave a weak smile.

"Hold on a second. I'll consider it."

You stood up, brushed yourself off, and gently shook the water out of your dress. You looked at Eren, doing a once-over of the oblivious boy. He didn't notice that your dress was dry, did he? That surely would have raised alarms otherwise.

You walked over to Levi, who sat under an umbrella reading a book. He chose to not don beach-wear, rather to stay in comfortable summertime clothes.

You tapped his shoulder.

Peeling away from his book, he eyed you from behind sunglasses, apathetic and expressionless.

"What?" He asked, not really bothering with formalities.

"How long can humans hold their breath?" You whispered. "Because I don't need to come up to breathe for awhile."

"How long is awhile?"

"Uh... Never?" You winced. "Sorry. Probably not the best idea to come here."

"Come up every five minutes and say you have good lung capacity." He turned back to his novel. "Don't fuck this up, shitstick."

"Thank you!" You whispered.

You trotted back to Eren, who had gathered a few others for the trip. You recognized Connie, Eren and Armin, but there were four others that you didn't know.

"(Y/n!) You made it!" Eren called, beckoning you over to the group.

"Yeah, I made it." You pumped your fist into the air, slowly and awkwardly. "Woooooo...."

"Need permission from your boyfriend or something?" Connie asked jokingly.

You blushed furiously.

"No! Levi isn't my boyfriend! He is a gracious host, and I needed to ask him a question!" You sputtered.

"I can see he's the dominant one, then." Whispered a boy, who had copper eyes and a mischievous smirk.

You crossed your arms and gave him a glare, blush still tinting your cheeks red.

Eren's mood had dipped at the words, you could tell.

"(Y/n,) anyway, this asshole is Jean, his gay lover is Marco-"

"What did you just say?!"

"Shut it, horseface. Those two are Reiner," a boy with a blond buzz-cut waved, "and Bertholdt." A sweaty, black-haired lanky teen stood next to Reiner.   

"Hi." You waved. "I'm, er, (y/n.)"

Eren tossed you the snorkel and mask. You fumbled with the straps, muttering about how silly human eyes were, until you managed to fasten it to your face. The mask smelled bad and tinted your vision strangely. You tried out the snorkel, awkwardly sticking it into your mouth and then spitting it out again.

Of course humans stick oversized air straws in their mouths. Stupid...

Finally getting comfortable with the infernal invention, you made your way to the shore, where the group of males were jumping into the water and splashing each other. You walked into the surf, past the group and into the water. Standing awkwardly to the side, you observed the group from a distance.

Despite the misgivings between Jean and Eren, you sensed that ties ran strongly between them. However, there were senses of distrust between  all of them, largely directed at the two boys that had been introduced last- Reiner and Bertholdt. The feelings ran deep, but forgiveness also stood prominently beside the more negative emotion.

What had happened? Did these children fight the gang that Levi was referring to? Is that why they were so deeply terrified of the world?

You sighed.

What did Earthens do to their young, to make them like this?

"Hey, what's that?"

The group had been silenced and Armin was pointing farther down the beach, towards where you stood yesterday. You shuddered.

No... Don't go there... I can sense them...

"It looks like a giant... hand?"

"The hell? Let's go check it out!" Jean turned to you. "Come on, (y/n.) Let's go look."

You were still. Reluctantly, stiffly, you followed them and mechanically, you dropped the mask on Eren's open hands. You were moving robotically, fear pooling in your joints. Ignoring your surroundings, you moved and followed the group.

You hardly felt the blur rush past your legs, screaming something about 'Beach Summer Fun Buddies,' you hardly felt the sun on your shoulders. You kept moving forward, towards the place you wanted to avoid.

"Whoa! That's sick!"

You hardly noticed that you had arrived. Looking up, you felt your knees go weak. A statue of a woman, beautiful and opening many sets of arms to the sun, leaned against the cliff-face. A warp-pad glinted on an open set of palms, a mask sat on her forehead. Her hair flowed down the cliff in stone, flowy tresses and her serene expression gazed out into sea. A house sat on her midsection, cheery and out-of-place on the lap of the stone warrior.

"Who is that?"

The boys knew nothing of her significance. They asked silly, stupid questions. You fell to your knees.

All this time, this silly week and I was on the doorstep of a Homeworld enemy. All this time and I'm lucky to be in one piece...

"(Y/n?) You alright?"

Who asked that? You didn't know. At that moment, powerful gem memories rushed through your mind with newfound viciousness. Gem memories is what your magic was hardwired for. At that moment, you felt just as weak as you did on Homeworld.

You felt light-headed. You forced yourself to nod weakly, as you continued the memory rush.

"Alright, whatever. Look at her hands! There's crystals on them!"

"Hey, like (y/n)'s back, am I right?"

A ripple of laughter.

You felt dizzy, and the voices echoed in your ears. The words made the violent memories churn and you felt weak and sick. You curled into a ball and squeezed your eyes shut, hoping for an end to the torrent.

_Whenever you love yourself, that's me, loving you._

_Strong in the real way..._

The memories started to move into reality, swaying and moving with ferocity. The gem residents here were going through their own adventure too.

_...and we'll go out for pizza! We, are the Crystal Gems! We'll always save the day! And if you think we can't, we'll always find a way! That's why the people of this world, believe in..._

Rose Quartz was dead and alive in a way that was groundbreaking. The biology of it was impossible, the idea of it was crazy. The gems here had suffered six thousand years of turmoil, pain, happiness and love, and all of it was coursing through your mind fast enough to make you want to laugh and cry.

You shuddered in pain, sympathizing for gems you'd never met.

"What can I do for you?" You muttered to yourself, tears streaking down your cheeks and into the sand, "you're strong in the real way."

"Whoa, (y/n!) Guys, help me out here!"

You didn't register the arms reaching for your shoulders, dragging you from your curled position and then picking you up and moving you away from the temple. You only felt the emotional connection grow weaker and weaker, until it vanished into a dark cloud that hovered on the brink of your mind.

You opened your eyes. Flowers didn't fall from the cliff to your feet, dotting the world in a gentle pink rain, the last batch of plants grown by Rose Quartz.

On your left, a hazy Reiner held underneath your arm. He stared ahead, determined. You turned to your right side. Jean clutched your arm and dragged your body forward, the same expression on his face. The world swayed and a figure running towards you lurched with the ground.

_Show me the Galaxy Warp!_

_Come on, I know you've seen it!_

The world sharpened. Your vision no longer swayed, and you planted your feet in the ground, bringing Jean and Reiner to a halt. You solemnly pried their fingers from your arms. You brushed the sand off of your limbs, you stretched and cracked your knuckles, making yourself perfectly presentable. Your heart fluttered.

The group of boys looked at you with concerned and confused expressions, and you wiped away the tears on your cheeks with a palm. You gave them a cold, steely stare, before walking past them, expressionless.

The figure sprinting to you had been Levi. He stopped, not looking any worse for wear and despite his expression, you could sense the concern rolling off of him in waves. You nodded in his direction, willing a silent message in his direction.

 _Come with me, please,_ you wanted to say.

He blinked, and you both turned away from Eren and his friends, and began walking down the beach. He huffed silently, and you were certain he'd want an explanation. In the mean time, you tried to quell the tears that threatened to spill from your cheeks.

The powerful emotions, the grief, the love, all of it directed towards Rose was more than enough to break a being.

"What was the shit that happened back there?" He hissed under his breath, words rigid with demand.

"Tourmaline is dead." You whispered, eyes unmoving.

"What the fuck? Are you dicking around with me?"

"Alexandrite stands in her stead."

"Fluorite, get the fuck out of Lala Land and ma-"

"And she's here." Your eyes were wide and full of a billion different emotions at once. "My friend, she's on this dismal hunk of rock." You turned to Levi, unfeeling. "I'm going to find her. I'm going to bring her home if it obliterates me into nothingness and pain."

Your expression was one of the creepiest things he had ever seen. It was desperate, pained, determined, depressed and frustrated. Love and passion stood prominently beside those emotions, but all of those feelings were twisted and warped into one serene and slightly homicidal smile.

You stared at a point in the sky.

"I'll bring her home if I shatter into a million pieces. I promised."

Levi was silent, staring at you with wide eyes. He was terrified. He was concerned for what you meant.

Wait... He knew that expression. It was one of someone who would die a thousand times over for someone else. He hated that expression with a passion. It had killed too many, it had taken too much.

Suddenly, he was furious. Why would he help someone like you?

"Too many good people have been lost to idiots like you." He growled, and then stomped off, leaving you in your daydream.

Searing anger blazed across your mind, bringing you back from where you were. The happiness that you had felt, it was gone. The elation had left.

You were alone on the beach.

You looked down at your hands. You had really screwed things up. Levi was the only ally that you had, and you messed it up, badly. Your emotions had taken control of your decisions and behavior again.

"Oh for the sake of... I messed up." You rubbed your eyes. "There's time for her, later..."

You looked around, trying to avoid people for a while. On your right, was a sign shaped like a gargantuan ring. Big, blocky print was stamped on the front of it.

"The Big Donut?" You muttered. "Worth a shot."

You walked towards the small establishment, hoping for some time. Levi needed to cool off.

"Welcome to the Big Donut!" A plump blonde teenager stood at the counter, which displayed hundreds of colorful varieties of... something.

Pushing open the door, you looked around at the restaurant. There was bulky machines, displaying colorful cartoon characters and mascots. You cautiously walked to the counter, glancing at the display case.

"Are uh, these, you know, the donuts?" You asked, finger brushing against the glass case. You recoiled slightly.

"Yeah, yeah they are... the donuts." She glanced at you awkwardly.

You both stood there in silence, not quite meeting each other's eyes.

"Hey, Sadie, can I get some soda from the vending machines?" A lanky boy with gauges in his ears and a ruff of orange hair on his head, walked out from a hallway on the right side of the shop.

"Sure, Lars. Just be back soon, okay?" She was really trying to avoid your eyes.

"Alright, whatever." He walked outside the door, which opened with a cheery bell.

You both went back to your previous avoidance of each other's eyes.

You cleared your throat.

"What are the best... donuts?" You asked, eying the display case and rocking on your heels.

"It depends on what you like, I guess." Sadie looked at you in the eye, smiling sympathetically. "You're new here, so I'll let you sample a chocolate or something, okay? Next time they'll be a few dollars a piece." She laughed weakly. "Or come on our 'Discount Donut Day.' Then they'll be only one dollar."

You looked at her, very clearly confused with the human practice of discounts.

"I'll go get your donut!" She said, a bit too loudly to be normal. Then she bent down and shuffled behind the counter for awhile, finally displaying a bag.

"Thank you." You said, peeking into the bag, which held a chocolatey treat. The scent wafted into your nostrils. "I'll be sure to come back on... Discount Donut Day."

"Yeah... you do that!"

You opened the door.

"Have a nice day!" Sadie called.

"Good luck with that." You mumbled.

Levi was sitting under his umbrella, clearly pissed off. You plopped yourself next to him, dropping the bag in his lap. The paper crinkled awkwardly and you didn't know what to do. Levi was just sitting there, reading his book and stewing in his anger. You twiddled your thumbs, and quickly snatched the bag again. Your actions were quick, silent, and you were blushing madly.

Humans were weird.

You pulled out the donut, and after wrinkling your nose at the smell, you set it on his lap again.

Levi didn't move. Why didn't he move?!

You snatched the donut again. If you had to eat, you wouldn't want it coming from your lap. You glanced at Levi. He still sat under the umbrella, reading.

You clasped the glazed treat in your palms and after glancing between his figure and the donut for awhile, you set the pastry carefully on his head. He stiffened, and you immediately scrambled away from the umbrella. You admired your work. The donut, balancing precariously on his head, would attract gulls if he didn't eat it.

He picked it up, gave it a once-over, and was... Was he going to throw it?!

You sprinted in front of the landing site, which was about forty feet down the beach, just as it sailed through the air; swatting away a seagull just as it swooped in for the kill.

"No, no, no! Shoo!" You wrestled with the bird, holding the treat away from its beak and claws. "O-ow! Stop clawing me, you stupid bird!"

It squaked angrily before flying away. You gazed at the the donut. It was unscathed.

Stomping frustratedly over to Levi, who was humored at your actions, you set the donut on his head again, tapping your foot impatiently as he continued to read. It had been awhile, and he was ignoring the donut that was atop him like a ridiculous hat.

"It's melting." You said, growling slightly.

"What's melting?" He asked, smirking in your direction.

"There's going to be glaze in your hair."

"Why would there be glaze in my hair? There's nothing that can do that near me."

"Except a donut."

"Donuts? Where are those?"

"On your head."

"Oh really? I think I'd know if there's a donut near me. I most certainly know that there's a fucktard who doesn't value their life next to me."

"There's one of those, but there is surprisingly, a donut as well."

"I don't think so. Just someone who needs to learn a lesson about patience. A friend wants to find a friend in one piece, you idiot."

The anger was growing again. He'd let it simmer for awhile, but it was rolling to a boil now.

"Don't talk to me about patience." You growled. "I have more patience than anyone you've ever met."

"Then wait a while longer. Don't do anything stupid, and she'll come back to you." He responded. "Being like that, how stupidly suicidal you sounded, doesn't do anything except get yourself killed and hurt more people in that process. Have patience."

 _"Don't talk to me about patience."_ You hissed. "I've been patient for longer than you've been alive."

His anger was still there, but a mild curiosity had also crawled into his emotional spectrum.

"Leeeeeeeevi! Shoooooooortyyyyyyy!" A woman yelled across the beach.

"Hanji's coming. Look like you're somewhat pleased." Levi hissed under his breath.

Hanji sprinted up to the umbrella. She panted happily and was covered in sand, and other filth. Levi wrinkled his nose.

"We're having a cookout tonight in honor of the new mission!"

"Okay."

"And you have to be there!" She poked his cheek. "You know there's a donut on your head, right?"

"Yes."

"...Well, are you going to eat it?!" She asked.

"Maybe."

"...Can I ha-"

"No."

Hanji huffed. "Oh well. Be there or be square, Shorty."

Hanji sprinted back to where she was before she announced the event. She was an eccentric woman, you noticed. Her personality took up an entire room with its childishness.

You both were back to glaring at each other.

"Have. Patience. It doesn't matter how long you've waited. Don't do anything stupid."

You clenched your fists and grit your teeth.

"Don't- I... _Rgggghh!"_ You stomped off.

"Eat the buggin' donut!" You added, before going away from a man that irritated you to pieces.

 

 


End file.
